The present invention relates to computer networks, and more particularly to remote file access in computer networks.
The Preboot Execution Environment (PXE), developed by Intel(trademark), extends the well-known Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) to provide a generic device driver interface to a bootstrap software. The bootstrap software allows a client to perform a remote boot. Conventionally, when the client boots, it first obtains the name of the bootstrap from a remote PXE boot server. The client then obtains the bootstrap from a remote file server, which typically uses the Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP). Once loaded onto the client, the bootstrap obtains the operating system (OS) image from the remote TFTP server. This OS image is used to manage the client.
However, conventional PXE requires that the OS image be obtained from the remote TFTP server corresponding to the PXE boot server, i.e., the PXE boot server and the remote TFTP server are part of the same remote server. This creates a problem in a Wide Area Network (WAN) environment, where each subnet in the WAN is typically serviced by a separate file server. Thus, a client in a subnet cannot directly access files on the TFTP file server servicing its subnet. Files need to be accessed through the WAN. With large files, this is cumbersome and is an inefficient use of network resources. This may be time consuming as well, if the remote server and the client are separated by a slow router link.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a method and system for redirecting a network boot to a local file server. The present invention addresses such a need.
The present invention provides a method and system for directing a network boot. The method includes obtaining a bootstrap by a client, the client residing in a subnet; obtaining a configuration file by the bootstrap, where the configuration file comprises a map of subnets and their corresponding file servers; determining from the configuration file a file server corresponding to the client""s subnet; and obtaining an operating system (OS) image from the corresponding local file server. The method and system provides a bootstrap which, when loaded onto a client, obtains a configuration file from the remote file server. The configuration file contains a map of the network""s subnets and their corresponding local file servers. Using this configuration file, the bootstrap obtains an OS image from the local file server which services the subnet in which the client resides. In this manner, the client can perform a remote boot and have direct access to its local file server, promoting more efficient file transfers.